RF tourists opt for India, UAE, China as alternative to Thailand

About 10,000 to 15,000 Russian tourists may be staying at all resorts of Thailand at the moment

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MOSCOW, November 7 (Itar-Tass) — Russian tourists currently opt for India (Goa), the United Arab Emirates and China as an alternative to Thailand hit by floods, the executive director of the Association of Russian Tour Operators, Maya Lomidze, told Tass on Monday.

“There is a lot of negative information at the moment on what is going on in Thailand, that is why Russian tourists choose other holiday destinations,” she said. Specialists say Goa, the United Arab Emirates and China are most popular now.

Lomidze said the amount of flights to India meets a high demand for that destination. Tour operators, for their part, confirm that like last year, there are seven flights a week by Aeroflot, Transaero and WIM Avia alone from Moscow.

Meanwhile, “about 10,000 to 15,000 Russian tourists may be staying at all resorts of Thailand at the moment,” she said, adding that “the situation at resorts is calm”.

Two thirds of the Thai territories have been flooded because of tropical storms and continuous rains that have continued since the end of July. Over 500 people have been killed and two are missing as a result. Floods continue in 25 out of 76 provinces of the country, including in Bangkok.

On October 24, the Russian Foreign Ministry strongly advised Russian tourists against going to Thailand. According to the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, a total of 233,100 Russians holidayed in Thailand last year, which is almost 30,000 people more than in 2009.